| Key Takeaways |
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| • Saguaro cacti can live over 200 years: These slow-growing cacti become a long-lasting focal point once established in a desert landscape. • Blue grama works as ornamental grass or turf: It can grow up to 2 feet as an ornamental or be mowed to 2 inches for use as lawn grass. • Desert willow blooms for half the year, despite its name: This tree puts out purple blooms from April through September or October and, despite its name, is not related to the weeping willow. |
If your Valley of the Sun landscaping is withering in the Sonoran Desert heat, try these 11 best native plants for your Phoenix yard.
According to The National Wildlife Federation, a native plant “has occurred naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, or habitat without human introduction.” In other words, these Arizona plants have lived in the Southwest for hundreds of years, so they’ll thrive in your home lawn.
If you would rather leave the planting and upkeep to a local gardening pro, a pro can handle the work for you.
Cacti and succulents
Cacti and succulents are the most drought-tolerant native plants for a Phoenix yard, storing water in their tissues to survive long dry spells. Two standouts are the saguaro and Parry’s agave, both of which thrive in full sun with little to no watering once established.
1. Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)
If you want a desert plant to pass on to your grandkids, the saguaro may be for you. These cacti grow very slowly from seed, can live over 200 years, and offer a striking focal point for home desert landscapes.
- Plant type: Cactus
- Hardiness zones: 9
- Sun: Full sun
- Water needs: After establishment, none
- Soil: Well-drained
- Duration: Perennial
- Mature height: 25-50 feet
2. Parry’s agave (Agave parryi)
Parry’s agave, also known as a century plant, makes a nice accent plant in arid landscapes. This evergreen can be installed on its own or in a group, and it grows in a rosette pattern.
Parry’s agave flowers after 10 to 25 years, with red buds that open into bright yellow blooms. Because the stalk height and bloom time can vary widely, check the plant tag before you buy.
- Plant type: Succulent
- Hardiness zones: 7-11
- Sun: Full sun
- Water needs: After establishment, none or very little
- Soil: Well-drained
- Duration: Perennial
- Mature height: 3 feet tall, 3 feet wide
Read more: How to Create a Succulent Garden
Trees
Native desert trees deliver the shade and structure a Phoenix yard needs while sipping far less water than non-native shade trees. The desert willow and desert ironwood are two heat-proof anchors that thrive in full sun.
3. Desert willow (Chilopsis linearis)
For colorful blooms that last half the year, consider the desert willow. This small, multi-trunked tree puts out purple blooms from April through September or October and draws in hummingbirds. Despite its name, it is not related to the weeping willow.
As a deciduous plant, desert willow sheds its leaves in winter and won’t look attractive during this season. If you can handle the dramatic transformation, this is one to consider.
- Plant type: Tree
- Hardiness zones: 5-11
- Sun: Full sun
- Water needs: Some watering during summer to support foliage
- Soil: Tolerates a variety of soil types
- Duration: Perennial
- Mature height: 15-35 feet tall
4. Desert ironwood (Olneya tesota)
Desert ironwood is great for lawns or public spaces where you want light shade and a classic, twisting desert-tree look. Its sturdy branches also make it a good choice for hanging seasonal lights and decorations.
- Plant type: Tree
- Hardiness zones: 9-11
- Sun: Full sun
- Water needs: Sporadic watering in the summer, as needed, to help with vigor
- Soil: Tolerates a variety of soils
- Duration: Perennial
- Mature height: A medium height is 30 feet. Mature height can vary depending on the level of irrigation.
Read more: 10 Best Drought-Tolerant Trees for Your Landscape
Ornamental grasses
5. Bull grass (Muhlenbergia emersleyi)
Bull grass is a classic-looking desert grass that can grow upwards of 3 feet. It likes dry soil and is often found on rocky ledges or along the outer edge of forests. Muhlenbergia emersleyi displays purple flowers from summer through fall.
- Plant type: Grass
- Hardiness zones: 7-9
- Sun: Full sun or partial shade
- Water needs: May require occasional watering
- Soil: Well-drained
- Duration: Perennial
- Mature height: Over 3 feet
6. Deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens)
Deer grass is a bunching grass that pours out like a waterfall from its center. These grasses make great accent pieces for your landscape and look great at a distance.
- Plant type: Grass
- Hardiness zones: 6-11
- Sun: Full sun
- Water needs: Weekly or once every two weeks during summer
- Soil: Well-drained
- Duration: Perennial
- Mature height: 3-5 feet tall, 3-5 feet wide
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Turf alternatives
7. Blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis)
Blue grama can be used as ornamental or turf grass. As an ornamental, it grows up to 2 feet and works best in a group, adding nice texture to an arid landscape garden; as a lawn grass, it can be mowed at 2 inches.
Swapping thirsty turf for a native like this pays off, too, as Dr. Haimanote Bayabil of the University of Florida in Homestead, Florida, notes, “Drought-tolerant grass types and native plants could significantly reduce water usage and expenses for homeowners compared to traditional grass species.”
- Plant type: Grass
- Hardiness zones: 3-11
- Sun: Full sun; avoid planting where it gets western exposure
- Water needs: Weekly or once every two weeks during summer
- Soil: Well-drained
- Duration: Perennial
- Mature height: Height is from 9 inches to 2 feet, but can be mowed at 2 inches if using as a turfgrass
Honorable mention: Curly mesquite (Hilaria belangeri) is sometimes used as a lawn grass as well.
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Large shrubs
8. Hop bush (Dodonaea viscosa)
Hop bush serves many purposes in an arid landscape. This shrub has long, thin leaves that resemble a willow’s, and it needs fast-draining soil.
Common uses for hop bush:
- Shrub: A small to medium accent plant
- Hedge: A privacy screen or border
- Small tree: A compact shade option with more water
- Plant type: Shrub or small tree
- Hardiness zones: 9-11
- Sun: Full sun is ideal, may tolerate partial shade
- Water needs: If you want the plant to grow tall like a tree, water more. If you want it to stay small and bushy, water less or not at all
- Soil: Tolerates many soil types, but the soil must be fast-draining
- Duration: Perennial
- Mature height: 4-20 feet, depending on amount of water
9. Sugar sumac (Rhus ovata)
If you have a large area that needs greenery, consider sugar sumac (also called sugar bush). It’s prized for its deep green, leathery leaves; reddish twigs; and small, white flowers that burst from pink sepals.
This bush is often used as a filler plant on public lands, including parks and freeways. Sugar sumac must have well-drained soil.
- Plant type: Shrub
- Hardiness zones: 7-11
- Sun: Full sun
- Water needs: No irrigation needed in high elevations. In lower elevations, water infrequently but deeply.
- Soil: Well-drained soils
- Duration: Perennial
- Mature height: 6-15 feet
Read more: 15 Best Drought-Tolerant Shrubs for Your Landscape
Small-medium shrubs
10. Triangle bursage (Ambrosia deltoidea)
Triangle bursage works great as a filler plant and is often used for erosion control on public lands. It does well on slopes and must have well-drained soil.
Triangle bursage has grayish-green leaves and small yellow-green flowers from December to April. A note of caution: This plant can cause allergic reactions in some people due to its pollen.
- Plant type: Shrub or bush
- Hardiness zones: 9-10
- Sun: Full sun
- Water needs: After establishment, supplemental water in the summer is helpful. Water occasionally in winter if there is no rain.
- Soil: Fast-draining soil
- Duration: Perennial
- Mature height: 1-2 feet
11. Pink fairy duster (Calliandra eriophylla)
Not to be confused with the red fairy duster, the pink fairy duster makes a great accent or filler plant. If you want to attract wildlife, bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds love this plant. It puts out pink or white flowers in spring, summer, and fall.
- Plant type: Shrub
- Hardiness zones: 9-10
- Sun: Full sun
- Water needs: Only during dry spells
- Soil: Well-drained
- Duration: Perennial
- Mature height: 3-5 feet, depending on watering frequency
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FAQs
Fall is the best time to plant most Arizona native plants, since cooler temperatures and winter rain help roots establish before summer heat sets in. Early spring also works if you plant before triple-digit days arrive. Avoid planting in the peak of summer, when young roots struggle to survive extreme heat and dry soil.
Native plants have grown naturally in Arizona for hundreds of years, so they are perfectly suited to local soil, climate, and wildlife. Desert-adapted plants come from other arid regions and tolerate the heat well, but they did not originate here, so they may not support local pollinators the way true natives do.
Once established, many native plants survive on rainfall alone with little or no extra water. During the first year or two, give new plantings regular water so their roots can take hold. In the heat of summer, check the soil and water deeply but infrequently until the plant is settled and can fend for itself.
Yes. Native plants are among the lowest-maintenance choices for an Arizona yard because they resist local pests, shrug off heat, and rarely need fertilizer, needing only light pruning and occasional watering during dry stretches. Once established, most thrive with little hands-on care, making them ideal for busy homeowners who want a beautiful desert yard.
Make your Arizona yard easy to love
Native plants make desert landscaping easier, but choosing, planting, and caring for them still takes time and know-how. If you would love a yard full of Arizona natives without the work, let a pro do the digging for you.
Lawn Love makes yard care easy. Our local gardening service providers can plant, trim, and maintain your native landscape so your Valley of the Sun yard thrives, even in this challenging terrain. Get a free estimate and take yard work off your to-do list.
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Main Photo Credit: cultivar413 | Flickr | CC BY 2.0
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